New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-04-10
MUCH TALK ABOUTTHE ALvA
THE TROUBLE DUE TO HER ENGLISH
MODEL

AND HER DRAUGHT GREATER THAN EXPEKTED.
The that the steel yacht Ava, for which
". X Vanderbilt paid half million dollars only
time ago, has proved to be failure generally is
borne ont by the statements Of many yachting men and
experienced builders and designers From the statement
Of one Of the seamen published yesterday it will be seen
that the draught Ia much greater than her
designer believed 1t would be, and an expert states
that it is at least eighteen inches more. This
in large makes difference in displacement suf
fcicnt in itself to account for the great reduction OF the
Avas estimated speed The designer asserted that this
would seventeen eighteen knots but the best time
could possibly make sput at thirteen and half
and it is stated that during her voyage to Havana she
did not up to that rate OF speed even Then the
lines upon which she Is built found fault with Her
designer St Clare Byrne of Liverpool has good repu-
In England and his plans carefully carried out
by the Wilmington builders to the mnutest detail In the
opinion of the best judges 1t is the design only which
fault and is generally accepted as another piece
Of trustworthy testimony the already received
by Americans who have sought English designs, that for
good sailing qualities the American model is away ahead
Of the British Mr. Vanderbilt himself said to be much
disappointed In the performance of the Ava so much So
indeed that there was o rumor down town yesterday
that present her the United States Gov
eminent as dispatch boat
That would be O good joke" said wellknOwn
builder to whom this rumor was mentioned, "but
there cannot be any truth in it l would mention it II
policy OF the Government You whitney has the
Idea that don't know how to build boats in this coun-
try Other people have that idea too besides Mr. Whitney
and Mr. Vanderbilt Where these much cracked-up
steam yachts English desgn Why has tho Ileen been
laid up at Newburg for two seasonsl And the
winonah, too; she's laid up. One Of these cost
$33 900 and the other $4,000 Then where is
the Mrandal Laid up at Noank An
American bought that boat over in England and paid
long price for her. She going to beat everything We
had Why, she didn't amount to row OF clothes pins.
boat built by Burgess called the Sachem, beat her all to
pieces and every sort of weather Then John Harvey
built an English boat-the Wanda There boat that
was to be the perfection Of naval architecture 1t turned
out like OF them She ships every time her
screw turns"
And what OF the Alvai"
'.same kind OF turnout exactly. Somehow these
English designers cannot make a clear calculation
rs to draught They always away out the line Of
notation. You notice 1t in all their men-ofwar The
Ava instance to have draught OF sixteen feet
eight inches but she rides eighteen inches below her
waterline This great increase OF displacement OF
course, materially reduces her speed They expected
her thirteen, possibly thirteen and half That's
You must have noticed that these steam yachts are
ss assured as e the , tms they saD
trip We have American steam yachts, American
design American everything about them that will make
s disappointed know he u.s. in fact"
Prague has left the Cnas s q1etSSdS Of the
Vest TenS ST. When asked about steam yachts
turned the hull Of SOp a ps lower OK
his handsome nose with Jerk and glanSc nng
eSsr ss and especially f English
look to me like gas tank with sharp emo; have no
sscs ever saw ss that Of the steamship That
smore the American style But II you ask me as to
that our designers are far ahead the English especially
as to the shape Of bulls They nave seen that
viii see by reading the papers, they are adopting
Washington E Conner had nothing to say about the
Aya he said that his opinions English designers
too wei known to bear yaS for Yacht
OF an American designer TO an American puliaer ne
~ have not done so yet. but probably shall do so
shortly. Certainly it Will be an American boat Ihatis
From another source learned that Mr.. Connors
yacht is to be built at Wilmington, and prob prob
S0'S Hol III @s same built " the Alya II
think know who will be the designer ADDED the gentle.
man. but must not mention IT, This can say, mat
great deal less money hr Common Will get better
yacht than the Aya And bis American 9fs aeg T be
mit of iotaton is guaranteed Mr. Common is satisfied
dessH for he to have one Of
yachts anoat but he found nothing to beat those at
Tell me about the Alva"
,d Aa has aoa 70 like her mo sGe But ner
designer, ST. Glare Byrne of Liverpool has good repu
iaOnovcr there, mind you. Mr. Brasseys sunbeam IS
the best known boat OF his designing Now, in the AVA
all his plans carried out to the minuest detail
regardless of expense. She cost over S5OO,OOO Her
length all is 2s5 feet beam 81 feet Inches ana
deItn hold 10 feet Her material and workmanship
probably are superior anything made in England but
The general design bad and she doesn't come up TO
expectations by any means as you know e..
yachtsman who was picking out STICK" tasouth-
Of. wharf said Ibid you notice the Alvas main mast
1t right close the smokestack and think the smoke
and gases spoil her sailing Even for the looks
OF the thing think It was great mistake to make her
three mased opsa schooner She is sort OF barker,
tine She would have looked far better as twomasted
yessel-a bricantine or fuli-rigged brig"
Late last night two gentlemen who have acquired rep
uation-in this country at leas-as capable design
ers Of fast, seaworthy boats were met at
an uptown club. They added little TO the
opinions given above They had taken great interest In
the Alva and surprised at her shortcomings con-
sdering the beraty which attended her designing and
building BY the way" said one there wa. curious
incident at her LAUGHING The bottle OF wine suspended
over her bows ready for her christening quart OF
P0mmery Vanderbilt noticed this and had quart OF
native wine put In its place 1t took some time TO ind
bottle of native wine and the ceremony was DELAYED IN
consequence. Curious isn't II, that man carrying MS
national pride into such details as that should have had
his yacht Designed By a foreignerf'